Method of making fastening strips



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METHOD OF MAKING FASTENING STRIPS Fi ed July 8, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet l Fly 8 mmvroa VI U00 IIUIV! VII" vvulull IIUU R. DASHER 2,369,026

METHOD OF MAKING FASTENING STRIPS Filed July 8, 1943 Feb. 6, 1945.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 a; a 35 k 37a I: I0 31 ae l0 1 29 I 35 1 :se FL 3 {am y 2 INVENTOR.

BY 9 i A Arron/v5) Feb. 6, 1945. R. DASHER METHOD OF MAKING FASTENING STRIPS Filed July 8, 1943 eam nuu Sheets-Sheet 3 I, Q is o l .a 47 50 4o 4a 37 as 34 //8 29 25 r\ l Q I? I I7 [6 23 22 Fag- 5 l4 INVENTOR.

- A TTORIVE www urgss FRI"! uuw oearcn 8 Feb. 6, 1945. R. DASHER 2,369,026

METHOD OF MAKING FASTENING STRIPS Filed July 8, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 7

INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING FAS'IIIINING STRIPS Richard Dasher, New York, N. Y., assignor to L. M. Rabinowitz & Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July s, 1943, seams. 493mm- 3Clai'ms. (Cl. 112 -262) This 'invention relates to a method. and apps! ratus for-making straps for garments, or the like. Garments, particularly womens garments; have often to" be provided with" fastening means that besidessupportingthe garment on the wearer, mustalso permit a readyadjustment of the gar-- me'nt tc-the form and dimensions of the parts to which the garment is to be applied. For this purpose, garments are commonly provided with straps secured to the opposite ends thereof and carrying cooperating means adapted to 'form an adiustabie connection, such means consisting, for instance, insuitably spaced metal eyes, or the like, arranged onone or the straps for engagement with hooks carried by the other strap, or In snap-fastener' arrangements, slide buckles, or similar devices. Allcithese devices require the use of a considerable number of metal parts that are no longer readily obtainable owing to the current shortages iii metals.

In order to provide an emcient adjustable fasteningmeans for ladies garments such as corsets, girdles; brassiereapr the like, that would greatly reduce the need for metal parts and could be advantageouslysubstituted'ior the devices heretofore generally used rmthis purpose, there has been developed a new' type of adjustable strap made entirely of fabric; this strap embodies a plurality of fabric-made pockets arranged longitudinally of the" strap at suitably spaced intervals, and adapted torec'eive andtd hold in engagement therewith cooperatingmeans such as hooks. This strap aflords asafefastening through the contact of the coasting surfaces of the pockets and and has s wide range of adj'ustability limited onlyfby the number of the pockets and the length oftiiestrapitseli'l It can'be said that this strap has; proved 'togbenot merely a handy substitute i'cr the typesof straps previously in general use, but a deviceoi' greater efliciency than the Older types from the standpoint of a safe lending itself to speedier andmore methods of'construction.

"I'hfsinvuition-relates to a method and appa ratus for ma klngstrapscf' the character described-and has" for its general object to provide a methdd' and' apparatus for forming-the stra in 'a simple and'ei pe'ditious manner; More particularly, it is object oi the invention to provide meansformahing a-st'rap entirely consisting or strips of iabric, said strips being rapidly asscmbled to furor-the strap by means" of'a few simple" operations 'tliat can be partly performed hwconventionai sewingmachhies.

ran-man anese; the-inventiomtmprovide a strap having. a plurality o1 seriesof', pockets: concurrently -.iormed during. the assembly- 01 the.

variousstrips. I

It is aiurther. object. oltheihvention inform the pockets by folding one of the. strips oi fabric. upon itself at spaced intervals and to transform the folds into pooketsdnring. the assemhlnof. the various stripaand, further, to provide means for folding said strinthat can be. actuated by. oneof the sewingmachinesused in the construc tionoi thestrapi. I These. andothenobiccta becomeapnarent, while the A.

. In thedrawingsz. V f Fisure- L is a plan viewfschematically showing. the general arrangement of. the apparatus-oi. carrying: out. the method oi-makinz. the strap according to maintained, and, comprisina a. set or three'conventional sewing means cooperating. therewith...

Figure Zwis airontview. oithesame Figure- 3-is a- -plan-tiew of. one. 01 the sewing. machines with partsoi the arm thereo.broken ed to show part oithe, means adnpmdsfor. forming a series of ioldsina stripoi fabric. passing through said machine.

Figure 4-is. a-side view, taken on Figure 5, or the -same machineand meansior forming-the iolds Figure 5. haircut-view oirthe same. machine and means. Figure 6 is aplan view'of. part of the means for forming'thefolds as employed in a modified form of the method of construction of the strap wherein series of folds: aseconcurrentlyiormed in two strips'oi fabrid: I Fi ure 7- is a tragmentaryfront-view; on a greater scale, or part'or same: machine and means-tor-forming the iolda.

Figures 8 and 9'are-p1an. views of fragments ofa strap indifferent stages of construction. Figure 10* is, a plan view oi azrragment at a completed strap made according to: the method and with the apparatus that constltute'the object of the invention.v

Figures 11 and.12 are-plan views. of: iragments oi? a strap according to the modified-method; in diflerent stages of construction. Y Referring now in detail to theidrawings, M, H and i2 (Figures 1 and 2-) indicates; setotthree conventional double needle sewina machines, each of the cooperating. with other means in sncceuive'phases-ot construction of the strap, asit-will'beoxplained;

A strip llotanysuitahiemateriarpassesrrmn lines-Jot roll I 4 through a guide 5 to needles |6 of machine I0 which has a presser foot I! and a presser bar l3; a further and narrower strip l9 of suitable material is led from roll through guide 22 to needles l6 in superimposed relation to strip I3 and intermediate the side edges thereof, guides I5 and 22 having the purpose of insuring that the strips are fed to machine "I in the aforementioned relation to one another, for the reasons that will later become apparent.

A blade 23 is mounted in a horizontal bar 24 and projects therefrom toward needles l6 in inclined relation to strip |9 to rest with its tip on said strip; bar 24 is pivotally mounted on the lower end of a lever 25 the upper end whereof is fastened to a horizontal bar 26 pivotally supported between brackets 21, 28 secured to the head of machine I0.

An elbow shaped lever 29 is connected at one end thereof to lever 25, intermediate the ends of this latter, as shown at 30. and has it other end 3| pivoted on a support 32 fastened to the base of the machine. End 3| of lever 29 carries a member 33 rigidly connected thereto; a lever 35 fastened to 33 by any suitable means. such as screws 34, projects from member 33 in the direction of a cam 31, and bears against this latter with its cam follower 36. Cam 31 is fastened to worm wheel 38 which is rotatably mounted on support 39 and meshes with worm 40 mounted on shaft 4|; th s latter is journaled at 42, 43 and 44, and is drivably connected to the driving means of the machine. For the sake of cleamessfthe position wherein the parts just described are shown in Figures 3 and 5, will be hereafter referred to as the normal position of said parts.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that whenever worm wheel 38 rotates in the direction of the arrow (see Figure 3) cam 31 will cause cam follower 36 to move from its normal position toward the periphery of worm wheel 38, lever 35 and member 33 will therefore cause end 3| of lever 29 to rotate about its pivot on support 32 so that the opposite end of lever 29 will be pulled forward thereby causing lever 25 to swing in the direction of needles I 6 of machine It and blade 23 to advance in the direction of presser foot H to assume position 23' (shown in dotted lines in Figure 6) wherein the tip of the blade has advanced slightly beyond the forward edge of presser foot I! and underneath the same. Coil spring 45 will return all parts to their normal position as soon as cam 31 reaches step 31a of cam 31.

As coil spring 46; which is connected to a pin 41 carried by lever 25 and to a stud 46 projecting from th back of pivotally mounted bar 24, urges the tip of blade 23 downwardly during the movement of blade 23 toward presser foot H, the tip of said blade (which can be provided with teeth) firmly engages the. upper face of strip l9 and causes the strip to move forward; therefore the portion of said strip comprises between the tip of the blade and the forward-edge of presser foot I! is folded upon itself, and as the. tip of blade 23 slightly beyond the forward edge of the presser foot, underneath the same, the inner edge of the fold is closed to needles l6, as can be seen in Figure 6. It should be noted that while guide 22 of strip l9 obviously must not extend beyond'the tip of blade 23 when the latter is in its normal position, said guide must however be provided with a tongue interposed between strip l9 and strip l3 (and extending toward presser foot I! as far as possible without interfering with the formation of the fold) to prevent the tip of blade 23 from acting also upon strip l3.

It is clear that during operation of machine l6, cam 31 and the means cooperating therewith will cause the tip of blade 23 to move at fixed intervals between its normal and its most advanced position, acting at fixed intervals upon strip |9 in the manner described; if strips l3 and i9 have been initially fed to the sewing mechanism of machine l9, and stitched together, strip |9 will move forward by a certain amount during the interval between any two successive actions of the tip of blade 23 so that said tip will successively engage different portions of strip l9 and form a series of folds at spaced intervals. It will also be readily understood that, as soon as formed, the folds will be obliged to pass under needles Is as strip I9 is constantly moving in the direction of the needles and the folds are formed close to said needles, as described; therefore a series of folds continuously formed and secured to strip l3 by means of lines of stitching 48, 49, as shown in Figure 3.

It may be noted that, as the direction of the movement of the tip of blade 23 is the same as the direction of the movement of strip l9, the speed of the tip of the blade must be greater than the speed of the strip, if the formation of a fold is to be obtained.

Strip |3 with the folds of strip |9 sewed thereon pass between rollers 50, 5| and are conveyed .to machine H for the following phase of construc-. tion of the strap, which consists in folding over the side edges of strip |3 upon the marginal portions of folded strip l9, and in sewing said side edges to the underlying surface of strip l3 through the interposed marginal portions of folded strip l9.

For this purpose, the strips pass through a guide 52 having a mouth of substantially the same width as the broader strip 3 and a section progressively decreasing, sothat the side edges of said strip are gradually caused to fold over and to overlap upon the marginal portions of folded strip l9 during passage of the strips in said guide 52. Sewing machine I then secures the overlapped side edges of strip |3 to the underlying surface of the strip by means of lines of stitching 53, 54 (see Figure 9). These lines of stitching also define one of the sides of the pockets that will be completed in the following and final phase of construction,

In this phase, strips I3 and I9 are fed to machine l2 through guide 55, and a further narrower strip 56 is concurrently fed to the same strip l3, so as to leave exposed part of the folds of strip l9; strip 56 being secured to strip |3 during their passage through machine l2 by means of lines of stitching 59, 59 close to the side edges of strip 56, as shown in Figure 10.

The completed strap therefore comprises two series of pockets at spaced intervals longitudinally of the strap, the sides-whereof are defined by lines of stitching '53, 53, and 54, 59, respectively.

Figures 7, 11 and 12 relate to a modification of the method and apparatus, according to which there are employed two narrower strips of fabric 60, 6| instead of a single strip l9. Said strips are fed to machine In through guides 62, 63 to be folded upon themselves at spaced intervals and secured to strip |3',;-in a manner similar to that hereinbefore described and by means of similar devices. However, instead of. a. single blade 23, it may be advisable to employ-two separate blades 54, 65 one for each 'of the strips, both blades being mounted in horizontal bar 24 and being actuated by cam 31 through kinematic connections identical with those described. Instead of a single coil spring 46 there may be provided two coil springs 86, 61 connected to a bar 41 carried by lever 25 and to studs 68, 69 fastened to bar 24. x

Obviously, if sewing machine I0 is a doubleneedle conventional machine, each of strips 60, 6| will be secured to strip l3 by means of a single line of stitching, as shown at 10, H in Figure 11.

The operations performed by machines II and i2 and cooperating means are identical with those hereinbefore described.

It will be understood that I do not intend to be limited to the exact means herein set forth, and that many modifications may be made in the method and in the apparatus described without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A method of making garment straps having series of spaced pockets arranged longitudinally of the strap, which comprises moving a strip of fabric in one direction, concurrently moving a second and narrower strip of fabric in the same direction and continuously folding said second strip transversely upon itself to form a continuous series of folds therein, progressively sewing said folds as they are formed to the first strip in superimposed relation thereto intermediate the side edges thereof, folding over said side edges of the first strip in overlapping relation to the marginal portions of the folds of the second strip and sewing said side edges to the underlying surface of the first strip during the continuing conjoint movement of the two strips, conveying a third and narrower strip onto the moving interconnected strips in superimposed relation to the folds of the second strip and in spaced relation to the folded-over side edges of the first strip, and progressively sewing said third strip to the second strip and the underlying surface of the first strip, whereby to progressively define series of pockets at the folds of the second strip.

2. A method of making garment straps having series of spaced pockets arranged longitudinally thereof, which comprises continuously advancing a strip of fabric in one direction, moving a sec- 0nd and narrower strip of fabric in the same direction and concurrently folding said second strip transversely upon itself to form a continuous series of spaced folds therein, progressively sewing said folds as they are formed to the first strip in superimposed relation thereto and centrally thereof by means of lines of stitching close to the longitudinal edges of said folds, folding over the side edges of the first strip to cause the same to overlap the marginal portions of the folds and to cover said lines of stitching, progressively sewing said side edges to the underlying surface of the first strip during the continuing movement of this latter, conveying a third and narrower strip of fabric onto the folds of the second strip in spaced relation to the folded over side edges of the first strip, and progressively securing said third strip to the folds and to the underlying surface of the first strip by means of lines of stitching close to the side edges of the third strip, whereby to define series of spaced pockets at the folds of the second strip.

3. A method of making garment straps having series of spaced pockets arranged longitudinally thereof, comprising continuously moving a strip of fabric in one direction, concurrently forming continuous series of folds of fabric and progressively sewing said folds as they are formed upon the moving strip intermediate the side edges of this latter by means of lines of stitching close to the outer longitudinal edges of said folds, folding over the side edges of the strip to cause the same to overlap said outer longitudinal edges of the folds and to cover said lines of stitching, securing said side edges to the underlying surface of the strip during the continuing movement of this latter by means of lines of stitching passing through said folds, applying a further strip of fabric upon said folds in spaced relation to the folded over side edges of the first strip, and progressively sewing said further strip to the folds and the underlying surface of the first strip by means of lines of stitching closely parallel to the side edges of said further strip, whereby to define series of spaced pockets at the folds.

RICHARD DASHE'R. 

